Egyptian judo fighter, Islam El Shehaby, awkwardly refused to shake the hand of his Israeli opponent, Or Sasson, after losing his match Friday at the Rio Olympics.
After completing a match winning 2nd takedown, Sasson went in for a customary hand shake, but was sourly snubbed by El Shehaby. Boos could be heard echoing from those in attendance.
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After the match, Sasson approached El Shehaby to shake his hand — customary in Judo matches — but El Shehaby refused. People in the crowd reportedly booed.It’s unclear why El Shehaby refused the handshake — he could have been pissed from losing — but there are reports that it was more politically motivated. h/t tmz
Some Egyptians had rallied for El Shehaby to withdraw from the fight to avoid having to compete with an Israeli opponent.
#Israel Sasson beats Egyptian Islam El Shehaby in 1st rnd #judo event. Egyptian then refuses to shake his hand. pic.twitter.com/WRQ1Gpd29m
— Stanislaw (@stas8t) August 12, 2016